The present invention relates to a magnetic tape cutout apparatus and method for cutting-out a magnetic tape from an original roll (defined by winding an original tape into a roll shape) and winding the magnetic tape (thus cut-out from the original roll) to a reel. In the apparatus and method, the magnetic tape is wound on the reel at inside of a magnetic tape cassette or a cartridge or is previously wound at the outside and then installed in the cassette or the cartridge.
There is a case in which a defect is caused in a magnetic tape by a nonuniformity of coating by adhering dust when a magnetic material is coated to a wab/substrate and presence or absence of the defect is inspected at a stage of an original roll.
Further, according to a magnetic tape used for backup of data, a servo signal is previously recorded thereon and in such a magnetic tape, a writing error of the servo signal also constitutes a defect and therefore, presence or absence of the defect of the written servo signal is inspected.
As a magnetic tape cutout apparatus, there is an apparatus described in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 7-37362. According to the apparatus, a tape of a predetermined length in accordance with a product is cut out from an original roll that has been previously recognized with a position of the defect of the magnetic tape by inspection, and the tape is wound to a reel at inside of a cassette.
According to the apparatus, the position of the defect is recognized by being stored to a storing member and when the defect is not present within the predetermined length of the cut-out magnetic tape, the predetermined length of the magnetic tape is wound to the reel (to be a product reel) at the inside of the cassette. Meanwhile, when there is present the defect within the predetermined length of the cut-out magnetic tape, the magnetic tape is wound to an abandon reel for abandoning the predetermined length of the magnetic tape. Winding of the magnetic tape to the product reel and winding of the magnetic tape to the abandon reel are carried out in the same winding apparatus (winder).
At inside of the above-described winding apparatus, there are mounted a mechanism for winding the magnetic tape to the product reel, a mechanism for winding the magnetic tape to the abandon reel and a mechanism for guiding the magnetic tape, that has been drawn out from the original roll, to either of the product reel and the abandon reel. In such a winding apparatus, the inner structure is extremely complicated, facility cost is high and also the maintenance is complicated.
The invention has been carried out in view of the above-described situation and it is an object thereof to provide a magnetic tape cutout apparatus and method capable of reducing cost and facilitating handling thereof.
The above-described object of the invention is achieved by a magnetic tape cutout apparatus comprising:
storing member for storing a defect position of a defect portion in an original roll from which a magnetic tape is cut out;
a winding apparatus for drawn out the magnetic tape thus cut-out from the original roll and for winding the magnetic tape on a reel; and
discharging member for removing the reel including the defect portion in accordance with information of the defect position from the storing member.
Further, the above-described object of the invention is achieved by a magnetic tape cutout method including the steps of:
previously storing in a storing member a defect position of a defect portion in an original roll from which a magnetic tape is cut-out;
drawing out the magnetic tape thus cut out from the original roll and winding the magnetic tape on a reel; and
removing the reel with the magnetic tape including the defect portion in accordance with information of the defect position from the storing member.
According to the above-described constitution, all of the magnetic tape are successively wound on reels as the products and thereafter, based on the information of the defect position of the storing member, the reel as product including the defect portion can be removed.
According to the winding apparatus of the invention, a mechanism for winding a magnetic tape to an abandon reel, a mechanism for guiding the magnetic tape drawn out from the original roll to either of a product reel and an abandon reel and the like may not be provided and therefore, the structure becomes simple as compared with the conventional apparatus.
As the discharging member, there can be adopted a constitution in which based on the defect position information of the storing member, the product including the defect portion is removed from a transfer line and also the structure is simple. Therefore, the facility cost can be reduced. Also the maintenance is easy to carry out and handling thereof is facilitated.
Further, comprehensively, the productivity can be maintained or promoted.
Apparently, it seems that the yield is lowered by winding all the magnetic tapes with no concern of the defect portion. However, the inventors have conceived the invention by converting conception. When the defect position information recognized in the state of the original roll, is used, the product including the defect portion can be removed extremely easily. Further, at the winding apparatus, the magnetic tape can be wound at high speed with no concern of the defect portion. Therefore, comprehensively, the productivity can be maintained or promoted.
For example, in a procedure of winding a magnetic tape to a reel at inside of a cassette by the winding apparatus and transferring the magnetic tape along with the cassette from the winding apparatus to a successive machine or step, the product including the defect portion may be abandoned along with the cassette or the reel may be taken out from the cassette and only the reel may be abandoned.
Note that according to the present invention the tape is not limited to be wound at inside of the cassette. The tape can be wound on the reel at outside of the cassette and then the reel may be installed in the cassette.
For example, there can be constructed a constitution in which a cassette is provided with a pertinent identification code and by reading the identification code, discharging member recognizes whether the cassette is to be abandoned.